Electkic clock



2 Sheets-Sheet l I izyz ELECTRIC CLOCK R. E. PEARSON. JR., ET AL Original Filed Nov. 24, 1931 Dec. 1, 1936.

R. E. PEARSON, JR. ET AL 2,062,476

Dec. 1, 1936.

ELECTRI C CLOCK Original Filed Nov. 24, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 fwuenfprs flF/ferman.

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Patented Dec. 1, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ELECTRIC CLOCK Robert E. Pearson, Jr.,

Yonkers, and Henry F.

Herman, Chappaqua, N. Y.

9 Claims.

This invention relates to electrically operated clocks utilizing the usual clock gear train operatively connected to electric motor actuating means, and relates particularly to alarm means adapted to be periodically set and actuated by magnetic forces generated by the electric motor clock operating means, and it is the principal object of the invention to provide a structure which is novel, simple and inexpensive to manufacture, and efficient in operation.

It is another object of the invention to provide a novel structure of electric motor clock operating means, and improved driving connection means between the electric motor and the clock gear train.

In carrying out the invention there is provided an electric motor embodying a stator comprising a pair of fixed solenoids having centrally extending cores of magnetizable material adapted to be uniformly energized and a rotor or armature rotatably supported equidistantly between the cores and operatively connected to a clock gear train, the alarm means consisting of a magnetizable lever pivotally mounted intermediate the ends with one arm normally yieldingly engaged and magnetically attracted into engagement with a solenoid core, and yielding means to engage the other lever arm actuated by means controlled by the movement of the clock gear train to urge the lever to position the first lever arm out of engagement with the solenoid core against the magnetic force on the arm and effect a vibration of the lever and intermittent engagement of the one lever arm with the solenoid core and thus sound an alarm.

In the drawings accompanying and forming a part of this application Figure l is an elevational view looking at the rear of the clock casing with a cover plate therefor removed to show the working parts.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional View taken substantially on the line 3-3 of Figure 1 looking in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 4 is a perspective view showing the clock train, stator coils of the electric motor and the alarm means mounted on a dial plate, and the rotor of the electric motor with a cover plate in disassembled relation to the dial plate.

Figure 5 is a sectional view of the clock gear train and the alarm actuating means.

7 Figure 6 is a sectional view of a portion of the clock train to show the hand carrying arbors and mounting of the gears thereon.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view of the cover plate showing a selector arm and plate relative to a graduated dial on the cover plate of indicating means forming a part of setting means for the alarm actuating means.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of the selector plate of the indicating means for the alarm aotuating means; and

Figure 9 a detail view showing the manner of releasably securing the selector plate in adjusted positions.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated there is provided a casing of dielectric material, such as wood, in the form of a frame l0 having a marginal flanged portion ll extending inwardly for the mounting of a dial plate l2 of magnetizable material, for a purpose hereinafter described, having the usual indicia on one face and secured to the flange as by screws threaded H into the flange. A clock gear train of the usual arrangement and structure is supported from the dial plate by a frame l3 mounted in spaced and parallel relation to the dial plate by angle brackets M, the frame in conjunction with the dial plate supporting the arbors of the gears of the clock train. The master arbor or shaft l5 extends beyond the rear of the frame, as shown in Figure 5, and supports the hand actuating gears U comprising a driving gear l6 carried by a sleeve ll fixedly mounted on the shaft I5 and connected to a pinion l8 meshing with a gear I9 mount-ed on an idler shaft between the dial plate and the supporting frame l3 and connected to a sleeve 22 by an elongated pinion 20 on the idler shaft meshing with a gear 2| carried by the sleeve 22, said sleeve being loosely mounted on the shaft 115 and extended therewith through the dial plate H. The minute hand 23 is mounted on the end of the shaft [5 extended beyond the sleeve 22, and the hour hand 24 is mounted on the sleeve, as clearly shown in Figures 5 and 6. The hands may be manually adjusted or set by a finger manipulating knurled knob 25 threaded onto the end of the shaft I 5 extended through a cover plate 26 releasably mounted in a recess 2! in the rear portion of the casing I 0 (Figures 2 and 3) by screws engaged in perforations 28 in the plate and threaded into the casing.

The clock train is actuated by an electric motor of novel structure, comprising a pair of coils 29, 36 wound upon spools 3| and electrically connected in series with the terminals connected to binding posts 32 fixed to a side member of the casing frame, as shown in Figures 1 and 3, for connection of conductors from a source of electricity. The coils are supported in spaced relation to each other and juxtaposed to the dial plate by engaging the coils upon cores 35 of magnetizable material secured at one end to the dial plate and the opposite ends extended beyond the coils, and the coils secured on the cores by a plate 33 secured to a recessed wall in the lower frame member of the casing ID, as at 34, by screws passed through perforations in the plate and engage in the frame member, as at 46, to engage and clamp the coils between said plate and dial plate, as shown in Figures 2 and 3. An armature in the form of a disk 36 of magnetizable material having equidistantly spaced V shaped notches 31 disposed about the periphery to arrange the armature with a series of equidistantly spaced projections, is mounted to rotate on an axis extending parallelly of and equidistantly spaced between the cores 35 by a spindle 38 having the ends of conical shape, as at 39, rotatably engaging correspondingly shaped bearings in screw threaded plugs 46, one of said plugs being adjustably engaged in a screw threaded boss 4| fixed to the dial plate relative to a perforation in said plate to permit removal of the plug, and the other plug engaged in a screw threaded perforation in a plate 42 of non-magnetizable material, such as brass, supported at the opposite ends by the cores 35 by screws 43 extended through perforations 44 in said plate and threaded into screw threaded seats 45 in the cores, thereby positioning the plate 42 in parallel spaced relation with the ends of the coils within which space the armature is mounted with the peripheral projections of the armature extending adjacent the cores, as clearly shown in Figure 3. The back closure plate 26 for the casing does not extend to the full extent to the bottom of the clock casing, as shown in Figures 1, 2 and 4, and by the mounting of the armature disk 36 as described a portion of the peripheral projections will extend below the bottom edge of said closure plate at the outside of the plate 33, whereby a disk projection may be readily engaged by a finger to impart a rotating movement to the disk to start the motor after the coils have been connected in circuit with a source of electricity, when the armature disk is rotated under the influence of magnetic forces of the cores generated by the energization of the coils acting on the disk projections.

The armature is operatively connected to the clock train by fixedly mounting the armature on one end of the spindle 3B and arranging the remaining portion of the spindle with a spiral gear thread, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4, for engagement with a worm wheel 41 fixed to an end portion of a shaft 48 having conically shaped ends 49 rotatably mounted in correspondingly shaped bearings in angle portions of brackets 58 fixed to the dial plate I2. The body of the shaft 48 is arranged with a worm similarly to the spindle 38 and meshes with a worm wheel 5| of larger diameter than the worm wheel 41. The worm wheel 5| is adjustably mounted on a shaft 52 having conical shaped ends 53 rotatably mounted in correspondingly formed bearings in angle portions of brackets 54 fixed to the dial plate and arranged to position the shaft 52 to extend at a right angle to the shaft 48 to assure of the proper meshing of the worm wheel 5| with the worm of shaft 48. The size of the worm wheel 5| is such as to extend beyond the cover plate 26 and to accommodate the worm wheel the plate is arranged with a recess 55, as shown in Figure 3. The shaft 52 is operatively connected to the gear l6 of the clock train by a worm on the shaft meshing with the gear, said worm comprising a section of wire 56 spirally coiled about the shaft, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. To take up wear in the conical bearings of the shafts, such as shaft 52, one of the bearing brackets is arranged with a slot, as shown at 51 in the upper bracket 54 in Figure 1, to permit of adjustment relative to the other bracket. The arrangement of the conical or pointed bearings of the shafts will assure ease of operation and require only a minimum of power to operate the clock train.

Alarm means are provided with means to set the same to be periodically actuated through the operation of the clock train, comprising a lever 59 of magnetizab-le material pivotally mounted by a boss 60 intermediate its ends loosely engaged on a rod 6| supported in spaced bosses 62 integral with and extending from a member of the frame l3. One arm of the lever extends toward coil 30, the coil at the right, as viewed in Figures 1 and 4, and at the extremity has a lateral extension in the form of an ear 64 with a portion of the material oifset as a nipple or a contact point 65 to engage a block 66 of magnetizable material having an opening to engage and mount the block on the coil core 35 in electrical connection to constitute an extension of said core, as shown in Figure 4, so that upon the energization of the coils and magnetizing of the cores the lever 59 will be magnetically attracted to the block 66. The arm extension 64 is also yieldingly urged into engagement with the block by a resilient finger 61 secured at one end on the dial plate and the free end engaging below the other arm of lever 59, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. The alarm is sounded by applying a yielding force to the lever against the magnetic forces generated by the energization of the coils and the influence of the resilient finger 61 effecting a rocking or vibrating of the lever so that the lever extension 64 will be intermittently brought into contact with the core. For this purpose. there is provided a member 68 of resilient material fixed at one end on the dial plate with the opposite end normally positioned to engage a lateral extension 69 of the lever arm opposite to the arm having the ear 64 and exerting a yielding force on the lever to I move said ear away from the core block.

To prevent the continuous actuation of the alarm the resilient member 66 is loosely engaged on a shaft 1| intermediate the ends, and said member is releasably positioned in spaced relation to the arm extension 69 by engaging a gear 10 loosely mounted on the shaft 1 l which is rotatably and slidably supported in the dial plate l2 and a member of frame I3, the gear 16 meshing with the elongated pinion 20 of the clock train. The gear is releasably retained against longitudinal movement on the shaft to position the resilient member out of engagement with the arm extension 69 by cam mechanism comprising a collar 12 fixed to the shaft El and slidably engaging an annular recess portion in the hub of the gear 19 with a pin 13 fixed in and extending from the collar to engage the outer edge of the gear hub and position the opposite edge of the hub into engagement with the resliient member 68. To periodically set the alarm by positioning the resilient member 68 into engagement with the lever 59 to exert a yielding force thereon against the magnetic force, the hub of the gear 10 arranged with the annular recess has a cam notch 14 extended into the end wall having a wall thereof extending in the direction of the axis of the hub and a wall extending in a direction oblique to the hub axis to facilitate the pin 73 moving out of the recess through the rotation of the gear and permit the gear at a predetermined point in the rotation thereof to move longitudinally on the shaft H under the influence of the resilient member 68 and allow said member 58 to engage the lever 59 as the hub rides ofi the pin and the pin engages the recess.

The time when the alarm is sounded depends upon the position of the pin relative to the hub notch i l and said position is selected in accordance with the time the alarm is to be sounded and set through the rotation of the shaft .11 by selector means mounted relative to a dial graduated to correspond with the graduation of the clock dial and arranged concentric of the shaft H on the cover plate as at iii in Figure '7. The selector means comprises a disk l3 rotatably mounted on the cover plate also concentrio of shaft It by arranging the disk with a center opening havin a flange extending about the same loosely engaging th peripheral wall of an opening in the cover plate, as indicated at H in Figure 5. To indicate the position of the pin 53 and setting of the alarm the disk is arranged with a pointer in the form of a nib it extended outward from the disk and bent laterally to serve as a finger grip to facilitate the manipulation of the disk. The disk is releasably coupled to the shaft H to permit of axial movement of said shaft by an arm 19 releasably mounted on the end of the shaft extending beyond the cover plate by a ,set screw lid and the free end of the arm bent at a right angle and releasably engaging a perforation in the selector disk It, as at 8!. The disk and shaft are releasably retained in adjusted positions by a detent 82 formed by stamping and offsetting a lip from the material of the disk yieldingly engaging notches or indentations 83 arranged in the cover plate 26 relative to each graduation on the dial l5, as shown in Figure 9.

The alarm is manually stopped by axially moving the shaft ll toward the cover plate and thereby the resilient member 68 out of engagement with lever 59 through the actuation of a rod 84 slidably mounted in an opening in the top frame member of the clock casing, as shown in Figure 2, with the end extending beyond said member arranged as a hand grip and manipulating portion 86 by bending the same to angular form with the free end extending parallelly of the rod and engaging an opening in the casing, as at 8'! in Figure 2, the opposite end portion of the rod being bent to a cam surface, as at 88, to engage a collar 89 fixed to the shaft ll by a downward movement of the rod transversely of the collar 89 and thereby moving the. shaft longitudinally and the member 68 out of engagement with the lever 59, as shown in full lines in Figure 5. When the alarm is set by the selector disk l6 the rod 84 is actuated to the dotted line position shown in Figure 5, which movement is limited by a collar 85 fixed on the rod engaging the clock casing.

The dial plate is enclosed by the usual glass panel 90 secured in the casing frame by a bezel 9i.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

1. In an electric clock, a dial plate of magnetizable material, a clock train supported by said dial plate, a pair of spaced coils juxtaposed to the dial plate, magnetizable cores extended through the coils, and an armature rotatably mounted between the coils with peripheral portions in pro"- imity to the cores and operatively connected to the clock train and adapted to be rotated and actuate the clock train under the magnetic forces generated by the energization of the coils.

2. In an electric clock, a clock train, a pair of coils having cores of magne'rizable material, an armature rotatably mounted between the coils with the peripheral portions adjacent the cores adapted to be rotated under the influence of the magnetic forces generated by the coils and operatively connected to the clock train, and a lever of magnetizable material pivotally mounted intermediate its ends with one arm juxtaposed to a coil core and normally urged to position with said arm contacting with the core and held in contact therewith by magnetic attraction, and means to engage the other arm of the lever and exert a yielding force thereon against the magnetic attracting force, said means being normally positioned out of engagement with the lever by a moving part of the clock train and adapted to be released at a predetermined interval of time and yieldingly engage the lever and the force thereof co-operating with the magnetic force to effect a vibrating of the lever and an intermittent engagement of the one lever arm with the core.

3. In an electric clock as claimed in claim 2, manually operative means to move and retain said means to exert a force on the lever opposed to the magnetic force out of engagement with the lever and the one lever arm magnetically held to the coil core to prevent vibration of the lever.

l. In an electric clock, a clock train, a pair of coils having cores of magnetizable material, an armature rotatably mounted between the coils with peripheral portions adjacent the cores op eratively connected to the clock train and adapted to be rotated under the influence of the magnetic forces generated by the coils, a pivoted lever of magnetizable material, one arm of said lever being juxtaposed to a coil core and normally magnetically attracted into engagement therewith, a shaft, a gear mounted on said shaft to rotate and have axial movement thereon, a resilient member secured at one end and slidably engaged on the shaft intermediate the ends at one side of the gear with the free end extending relative to the other arm of the lever and tensioned to urge the gear along the shaft in one direction, and means fixed on the shaft at the side of the gear opposite to the resilient member and the gear movable relative thereto and engaged therewith under the influence of the resilient member, and said means being arranged to normally adjust the gear to position the resilient member out of engagement with the lever arm and at a predetermined point in the rotation of the gear to permit of axial movement of the gear by the resilient member and the engagement of the resilient member with the lever arm to exert a yielding force on the lever against the magnetic attraction force of the coil core and in co-operation with said magnetic force vibrate the lever to intermittently engage the one lever arm with the coil core.

5. An electric clock as claimed in claim 4, wherein the gear adjusting means comprises a. cam member rotatable with the gear co -operating with a cam follower fixed on the shaft.

6. An electric clock as claimed in claim 4, wherein the gear adjusting means comprises a hub of the gear arranged with a notch in the end wall, and a collar fixed to the shaft having a pin fixed in and projecting therefrom engaged by and upon which the edge of the hub rides by the rotation of the gear and adapted to engage the hub notch at a predetermined point in the rotation of the gear and permit the resilient member to engage the lever arm.

'7. An electric clock as claimed in claim 4, wherein the operative mechanism is mounted in a casing one wall of which constitutes a clock dial and having a closure plate opposite the dial arranged with graduations to correspond with the graduations of the clock dial concentric of the gear carrying shaft, and a selector and indicator movable relative to the graduations on the closure plate and fixed to the shaft to rotate the shaft and adjust the means thereon to control the axial movement of the gear and engagement of the resilient member with the lever at a predetermined interval of time.

8. In an electric clock, a clock train, a pair of coils having cores of magnetizable material, an armature rotatably mounted between the coils with peripheral portions adjacent the cores operatively connected to the clock train and adapted to be rotated under the influence of the magnetic forces generated by the coils, a pivoted lever of magnetizable material, one arm of said lever being juxtaposed to a coil core and normally magnetically attracted into engagement therewith, a shaft, a gear mounted on said shaft to rotate and have axial movement thereon, a resilient member secured at one end and slidably engaged on the shaft intermediate the ends at one side of the gear with the free end extending relative to the other arm of the lever and tensioned to urge the gear along the shaft in one direction, means fixed on the shaft at the side of the gear opposite to the resilient member and the gear movable relative thereto and engaged therewith under the influence of the resilient member, and said means being arranged to normally adjust the gear to position the resilient member out of engagement with the lever arm and at a predetermined point in the rotation of the gear to permit of axial movement of the gear by the resilient member and the engagement of the resilient member with the lever arm to exert a yielding force on the lever against the magnetic attraction force of the coil core and in co-operation with said magnetic force vibrate the lever to intermittently engage the one lever arm with the coil core, and manually operative means to axially adjust the shaft and gear to position the resilient member out of engagement with the lever arm and retain the shaft and gear in said position.

9. An electric clock as claimed in claim 8, wherein the manually operative means to adjust the shaft and gear comprises a collar fixed to the shaft, and a manually operative member having a cam portion movable transversely of said collar to engage the cam portion with the collar and adjust the shaft, and to move said cam portion out of engagement with the collar and permit movement of the shaft by the resilient member.

ROBERT E. PEARSON, JR. HENRY F. HERMAN. 

